Reading Between the Lines
by littlematchgirl
Summary: A series of one shots and drabbles between Raven and Robin. Is there more to them than meets the eye? Or are they just best friends? You just have to read between the lines sometimes...
1. Small Talk

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... **

**Oneshots and drabbles between Richard Grayson and Rachael Roth. Are they lovers or really good friends? You tell me!**

**This chapter was inspired by Vienna Teng's Recessional, and I would recommend people listen to it while reading this fic. ^_~**

**P.P.S. I've updated this particular chapter 14 times and for some reason, it's not updating... CURSES!**

**Reading Between the Lines**

**-LMG**

**

* * *

**

_Recessional_

_Vienna Teng_

_"It's so beautiful here," she says,_

_"This moment now and this moment, now."_

_And I never thought I would find her here:_

_Flannel and satin, my four walls transformed._

_But she's looking at me, straight to center,_

_No room at all for any other thought._

_And I know I don't want this, oh, I swear I don't want this._

_There's a reason not to want this but I forgot._

_In the terminal she sleeps on my shoulder,_

_Hair falling forward, mouth all askew._

_Fluorescent announcements beat their wings overhead:_

_"Passengers missing, we're looking for you."_

_And she dreams through the noise, her weight against me,_

_Face pressed into the corduroy grooves._

_Maybe it means nothing, maybe it means nothing,_

_Maybe it means nothing, but I'm afraid to move._

_And the words: they're everything and nothing._

_I want to search for her in the offhand remarks._

_Who are you, taking coffee, no sugar?_

_Who are you, echoing street signs?_

_Who are you, the stranger in the shell of a lover,_

_Dark curtains drawn by the passage of time?_

_Oh, words, like rain, how sweet the sound._

_"Well anyway," she says, "I'll see you around..."_

_

* * *

_

It was official, Dick Grayson hated taking the Metro. They were all packed in together like sardines in a can. Dick stood up and placed his suitcase on the floor between his legs. He had just given his seat to an elderly woman, she thanked him graciously and sat down.

The train jutted to a stop. He quickly reached for the metal bar above him, just to keep from falling and accidently grabbed someone's hand in the process.

"Hey! Watch it!" said a voice next to him. He turned his head. The voice belonged to an attractive blonde in a black dress suit with dark glasses, red lips and a tight little bun in the back of her head.

She glared at him.

He smiled apologetically, "Sorry… "

She just frowned rolled her eyes and moved away from him mumbling something about perverts on the train.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he didn't reply.

_Cool it Dick, you've dealt with worse before…_

The doors opened and a handful of people poured out of the train car including the attractive blonde who gave him the dirtiest look she could muster before stepping off the car.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as soon as they stepped off the train, more people poured in. Twice as many as the ones who'd just left.

Someone stepped on his foot. Dick swore mentally. He'd just sprained his toe after taking out Killer Croc with a glide kick. It was healing, but not quick enough.

A pudgy bald man, Dick guessed somewhere around 50 and elbowed his way past him, bumping into a bruised rib. He bit his lip and glared at the man.

He hated the metro… and yet, why did he insist on taking it to work knowing the punishment and torture he'd have to endure?

Damian once asked him the same thing.

_"You can afford to drive into the city, hell, get Alfred to take you… I for the life of me don't get why you wanna subjugate yourself to that kinda routine torture… I mean how can you deal with all those morons and the smells?" The young Wayne curled his lip in disgust._

_"I mean what? Being Batman and dealing with the freaks of Gotham city ain't enough for ya? Or is that how you get off these days?" he teased._

_Dick just shook his head at the boy._

Damian didn't understand… and in a way he pitied him, because Damian probably never would.

He didn't have to take the metro to work… he knew he had options.. but the truth was… taking the metro to work made him feel human. He felt like a part of the human race again… like himself…

Bruce had allowed himself to be taken over by the bat.

He saw Bruce's struggle, his inner turmoil. The man proved he was Batman… through and through… and Bruce Wayne… became the costume…

Dick knew how much that effected his mentor's life…and his relationships and he promised himself that he wouldn't do the same.

He wouldn't let the Bat consume his identity… like Bruce had done…

Dick Grayson was not a costume…

"Next stop, 15th street, Next stop 15th street…." the automated voice repeated over the loudspeaker.

_That's me…_

He picked up his suitcase off the floor and held onto the metal grip above his head.

The train came to a stop and Dick quickly rushed out the door with the rest of the herd.

As soon as the train left, another one came, on the other side of the rail.

Dick put down his suitcase to straighten his tie.

Suddenly he felt an old familiar presence as the train on the other side of the tracks rolled away.

Like he wasn't alone... inside his mind....

There was a warm.. fuzzy feeling that traveled from the base of his skull to the center of his being...

He pauses… his hands slowly falling to his side. He doesn't even turn around… he closes his eyes and feels…. as if soaking it in… and he knows it's her…

He could feel her looking directly at him.

He wondered what he looked like to her… through her eyes.

Older perhaps?

He pondered…

Does she look the same? Like she did all those years ago?

Was she still the same person? Or has she changed as well?

He knew… She was studying him…

Trying to guess what he looked like… without his mask…

_It had been a game… with all of them… try and guess what Robin looked like.. under that mask…_

_They had tried to ambush him any way possible. He had become clever and resourceful with his mask, because of their tenacity. _

_They even ambushed him in his sleep once… they'd held him down and tried to rip it off his face._

_And she was there. _

"_He's down!"_

"_Take the mask off… "_

"_Do it… "_

_Their voices echoed around him…_

_When she approached him, he smiled at her. _

"_You too?" He asked her. _

_He was surprised… he didn't think she was interested in finding out about the man behind the mask… she'd never said anything to him about it before… and they had been so close… _

_She looked at him… her eyes seem to be boring into his. _

_She pauses for a moment._

"_Come on… do it already.. what are you waiting for?" They say. "We don't got all day!"_

_She blinks and slowly she reaches for the mask. _

_There is a collective gasp and for a moment no one dares utter a sound or breathe._

_He can feel her cool delicate fingers brush the edge of his mask, slow and almost intimate against his cheek, and he wonders why at that particular moment, his heart chose to skip a few beats. _

_His chest rises and falls in anticipation waiting for her to peel away the last piece of his costume; will she betray him?_

_She looks at his face as she grips onto his mask she could feel the mask giving way beneath her fingers.. _

_And he slightly dips his head forward it was such a small movement meant for her eyes only…_

_It was alright… because it was her… _

_And suddenly she lets go of the mask without a sound she backs away from his prone form as their teammates jeered at her and teased and berated her for retreating. _

"_After all this had been her idea!" They said._

_He only caught a bit of her face before she disappeared behind the barraging bodies of their friends and co-workers as they piled upon him, attempting to remove the mask… _

_She had given him a slight nod, and a small smile. _

_And then she was gone. _

Someone bumped into his arm hard causing him to lurch forward a little. "Get outta the way moron!" And just like that, he was back in Gotham City

He turns his head to the right slightly.

And suddenly she calls to him.

"Dick… Dick Grayson…"

He sucks in his breath, forgetting the smell and the trash in the subway…

She sounded like herself, yet, slightly more… feminine… and older… He closes his eyes opens them picks up his suitcase and turns towards her voice.

And smiled….

He just couldn't help himself…

She had been behind him… on the other side of the tracks watching this whole time… observing. She looked more mature… she filled out quite nicely. She certainly wasn't the skinny, short, girl he'd remembered.

Her hair was longer now, and layered.

Her eyes now had a bit of a twinkle to them.

She wore a knitted beret beanie cap, a white pleated coat with jeans a scarf and midcalf boots. A white printed messenger bag hung across her chest diagonally.

He could tell she was more relaxed… as if she was finally comfortable to be in her own skin…

"Rae… "He called out to her.. using his pet name for her. "It's been a while.."

"Too long." she told him.

"How are you?"

"I've been well… You?" She returned.

"I'm … alright…" he lied half expecting her to call him on his bull, like she used to.

She nodded. "I see."

It was a mature response. She knew something was up… but she wasn't going to push him on the subject matter.

"Been pretty busy lately though…" he said lifting up his suitcase.

"You looked like you were in a hurry… " she agreed.

"So… what are you doing in Gotham?" He asked curious, " I don't suppose you'd come all this way just to check up on me?"

"Hmmm," she laughed, "I see your ego's still intact… and you haven't lost your boyish charm? Do women still fall for that?"

"I see you haven't lost your edge," he countered.

She closed her purple eyes and nodded. She never stopped smiling, he noticed… she'd been smiling throughout their conversation…

Had she been smiling when she got off the train? When she studied him from behind? He didn't know why he suddenly thought of that… but… he found himself thiking about her smile… for no reason…

"I'm here…" she said, bringing him out of his reverie, "… I'm here for a potential client.." she told him, hoping he'd understand the hidden meaning and not question her any more.. or at least not at the train station.

"Ahhh… you're still in the business?" He asked

"Aren't you?" she asked almost in a teasing manner; her index finger lightly tapped the side of her face near her eyes.

"Touche." he told her, he got it.

She continued, "I do some occasional freelancing… every now and again… when I have time… "

He smiled wryly.

Strange…

There they were two old friends standing on opposite sides of the tracks shouting pleasantries at one another … with a handful of people waiting for their next ride… granted no one seemed to care, or was interested in their conversation… but it'd been a while since he last talked to her. He wanted a more private setting, where they could indulge their lives and secrets. Dive more into details

He wanted to find out more about her. what was going on in her life.. where she'd been.. what direction she'd gone after they'd disbanded the team…but more than anything, he wanted to leap over the tracks and give her a hug… too many witnesses…

A part of him… a more selfish, arrogant side of him guessed and even perhaps longed for it.. for her purpose… her reason for being in Gotham… was because she'd come looking for him. He laughed at himself… _Get real…_

It wasn't like her…

It just wasn't…

But then how would he know?

He hadn't spoken to her, or contacted her in years…

He could go over to the other side?

Make some time to talk to her… Hell, he was his own boss… the owner of Wayne Enterprise… He could afford to be late to work, because he didn't know how long she was going to be here… in gotham… in his life… again… out the next…

And what was he going to do?

Just let her walk out?

_Damn it... stop thinking about it Dick... and just do something..._

He was a thinker..

"_You think too much.." she once told him…_

"_You just think think think,….." _

"_You never just do…" _

"_And then when you do decide to do something…" _

"_It's too late…"_

"_And the moment's gone… "_

"_What a waste…"_

"_It's almost a shame… isn't it?"_

But when it came time for action…

He didn't move…

He remained as if glued to the spot.

Even knowing what he had known….

They stood there, almost awkwardly. It was as if they'd traded places. She was relaxed and carefree, and he was uncertain with the direction his life had taken him.

"It was good to see you again Dick… I'm glad you're doing well for yourself…"

Seeing as how they had nothing else more to say to each other, she turned halfway towards the stairs, the other half, frozen her foot pointing in his direction.

"I'll see you around.. maybe.. "

"Oh… ok… "came his soft reply.

She turned her back to him and took a few steps before hearing him call out to her.

"We should get together….perhaps later?" he threw out at her.

Her lips curved upwards. She turned to look at him.

"Perhaps… "she smiled prettily at him… so unlike her… the Raven he remembered… or the Raven he'd longed to see? All those years ago…the one that he knew existed under the cool, sarcastic exterior…

His heart beat twice just then.

"Rachael... " he said her name almost in a whisper.

Her eyes widened… perhaps surprised by the way he said her name… whispered it… like a long lost lover…

The train came then… blocking her from his view.

He walked alongside the train hoping to catch a glimpse of her through the windows before she left. He couldn't see her too many people were filing out of the cars and in.. As soon as he caught sight of a bit of her white coat the second train came on the other side completely obscuring her from him now.

He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

Frustrated.

_She looked like she was in a hurry… she wouldn't have waited… she's probably gone by now…_

He didn't know how much he missed her, until she showed up in his life again… Funny how life was like that… Because it always seemed to be that way… for the two of them… missed chances… missed opportunities…

_Too late… too late…_ the words reverberated through his mind.

It would have been nice to have talked to her a bit longer… he would have really liked that…

He turned with his suitcase in hand and walked up the stairs along with the remaining train crowd.

* * *

But contrary to his belief, Raven had stood there… for a few extra minutes..

She had known that he'd be gone… by the time the second train left…

Yet…

She still waited... hoping that perhaps he's stayed just a little longer so that she could see him before he left.. and disappeared from her life, for another 10 years or so...

And when the train finally roared away from sight, she looked across the way… to the spot where she last saw him

He was gone…

Just like that…

It was always that way with the two of them...

And she always had to be the last one… to leave..

Raven smiled almost bitterly and to herself..

She shouldn't be surprised but she was…

Even after all these years…

He was still the same…

And she was still the same…

Everything had changed… and yet… it hadn't…

Funny how life worked sometimes…

Raven sighed, turned and walked towards the stairs leading out to the light and the city.


	2. To Market To Market

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Synopsis: OneShots and Drabbles between Rachael Roth and Dick Grayson**

**Reading Between the Lines**

**-LMG**

* * *

Raven was at the local supermarket with Robin. It had become their chore since according to Robin, they were the only two capable enough to do it without getting tempted to buy out the entire store. No matter how many times they came, it never ceases to amaze her, how big it was, and how many options they had to choose from. She always felt overwhelmed.

_Too many choices, sometimes could be a bad thing… _she thought as she stared at the wall of goods in the center aisle of the store.

"_We don't have supermarkets in Azarath,"_ _she remembered she told him this a while ago when they first started coming here together. It had been her first time setting foot in a supermarket. She was intrigued._

_He didn't seem surprised. He almost seemed to have expected as much…_

_And his reaction didn't surprise her._

She reached for some jam, and paused. There was a whole row dedicated to different jellies and jams. She grabbed two different jams comparing them with each other.

Robin returned to the cart with two bags of apples and oranges. He found himself staring at Raven for a moment, a smile toyed on his handsome lips. It seemed like he always watched her especially when did something new…

As if he was waiting for something to happen..

To see something..

Perhaps a new emotion?

He remembered the first time she'd come to the supermarket with him. She wandered around the store quietly amazed. He had smiled at her then, watching her reaction as she peered around the store with a certain childlike innocence for a few small moments before returning to her normal state of neutrality.

It was as if she'd broken out of character for a few seconds… He remembered the memory fondly and secretly vowed to try to recreate many more like it or at least be there to catch those rare moments.

It was hard to get any kind of reaction or emotion from the girl, and so a part of him reveled in it whenever it happened, because who knows when she might do it again?

Granted the same could be said of Starfire the beautiful Tamarian he'd come to know and cherish, _perhaps a little more than a friend_?

When he first came to the supermarket with Star, her reaction was loud and obvious. She squealed happily and hugged him delightedly, as if she'd just won a trip to Disneyland.

She'd also crushed two of his ribs and deafened his ears a little that day, but he had been forgiving and understanding, considering:

A) She was an alien

B) This had been her first time at a supermarket. And last but not least

C) When excited, she really doesn't know her own strength

But there was a huge difference between Starfire and Raven; Star could afford to throw her emotions around unchecked. They all could… except Raven… Which was why he had found her reactions a little more endearing considering that if she didn't keep them under control, there'd be explosions left and right, and the T-Tower would be reduced to a pile of rubble.

Raven's voice suddenly broke through his train of thought.

"How do you know which ones to choose?" she asked him, staring at the jellies in her hands.

Robin placed the fruit in the cart along with the rest of the items and turned the cart towards the dark sorceress.

"The rule of thumb is that supposedly… the more expensive it is… the better the quality," he said as he rolled the cart down the center aisle past her.

"You don't agree with this statement?" Raven put the jellies back and followed him.

Robin shrugged, "Honestly, I find that they're kinda all the same…" He wheeled to the right and stopped the cart to grab some cereal.

"Granted, it also comes with years of experience not to mention, your personal preference…" he said placing the cereal in the cart. He wheeled the cart away while Raven walked beside him.

"And if you're unsure? Just go with the list… " he said with a wink as he held up the piece of paper in his hand. He quickly crossed off cereal from the list.

The paper had a list of things they needed to get at the store along with a few personal must need items from each teammate. Some of the items were crossed off.

They stopped in the meat section.

"So… was there anything you wanted that wasn't on the list?" Robin told her as he grabbed some ground beef and placed it in the cart.

Raven looked at him as if confused; she grabbed 6 packs of chicken breasts and put them in the cart..

"I thought we weren't supposed to use the Titan funds to facilitate our own needs?"

"You could just get a few things for yourself… besides, we can afford to indulge ourselves every now and again.." he smiled.

"Weren't you the one harping about saving money and only getting the things we need as well as having it be enforced as a number one rule when we're shopping? What kind of a leader breaks his own rules?" she said as she grabbed some fresh salmon and placed them in the cart.

"Ahhh… you have much to learn my young padawan.. " he grinned grabbing some lunchmeat and cheese off the shelf and putting them in the cart. "Rae, listen, you can get a few goodies for yourself just so long as you don't end up like the others… "

They went over to the dairy section to get yogurt and milk.

"Yes, I remember the reason why we've been assigned this task, because no one else has the ability to refrain from their addictions." She said pointedly grabbing a gallon of milk off the shelf and putting it in the cart.

"You know how it is… if Starfire was here, she'd only buy color coded, Cyborg would only get protein shakes and protein bars, and if it was Beastboy, he'd buy soda and candy, and as much as I love the thought of getting diabetes at the tender age of 16, it would definitely put a cramp in our hero work; besides, can you imagine going up against someone as powerful as Brother Blood or Slade? It would be strange to stop in the middle of the fight just to stick yourself with a needle."

She found herself smiling, seeing as how she now had an image of Robin stopping a fight between him and Slade, only to whip out a needle and stick himself with it, while the villain twiddled his thumbs and watched his watch waiting for the fight to resume, stuck in her head. Just then, she decided that she'd been watching too many cartoons with Beastboy if that was the only image she could conjure in her imagination.

"Point taken." she said.

He nodded in agreement as he grabbed some yogurt and put them in the cart.

"Besides, don't you ever just live a little? Break the rules? No body's perfect… we're all human…" he said and noticed her arching a brow at him, "and or other.." he added quickly.

She paused thinking about what he said. _Don't you ever just live a little?_ Apparently, her idea of "living" was vastly different than his.

She had thought that was what she was doing… she was _living_… She had done a lot more on earth than she ever could in Azarath. She found friends, found a new city… she almost believed she'd found herself a new home… a new life… and then she remembered how temporary and futile everything was…

_You can not escape your destiny…_ a dark and forboding voice echoed through the recesses of her mind. _The Prophecy must be fulfilled.._

"Hey, Rae, are you ok?" He asked his voice filled with concern.

She paused.

"I'm fine…." and then she added, "I… live… everyday.. like it's my last… "she said softly and to herself, thinking of the prophecy. Her father. Trigon.

They didn't know….

And they never would…

A part of her wanted to confide in her leader, who had become close to her… as a friend… as family.. so that she wouldn't be alone.

She never knew her family, but she figured if she had one this is what it would feel like… what it was supposed to be like.

But she couldn't do that to him…

This was her burden, and hers alone…

Besides if they really knew who she was… they'd probably force her to leave.. or worse… they'd probably try to help fight the darkness. _And they would all die in the process.._

She didn't want that… for any of them.. him especially…

For now she would enjoy her life… pretend to be ignorant and try not to think of the Armageddon…

She vowed try to do whatever good she can with what little time she had, in order to make up for the horror that she'll one day unleash on the earth and her friends..

She owed them that much…

Robin casts a sidelong glance at the dark girl beside him as they walked around the store grabbing the remaining items on the list.

She was quiet … a little too quiet. Like she was in another world by herself..

Going to the store with Raven had become an eye opening experience for him. He found it was a good way for the two of them to bond.. get to know each other better, because knew so little about her and every time she did something funny or said something interesting, he found himself wanting to know more about her.

But now, she was drifting away from him… closing him off, and after he'd come so far with her too…

He felt like an idiot, and immediately regretted what he said to her. Ofcourse he had been teasing her a little when he asked her if she ever lived. He meant it in jest. He thought she'd understand that about him by now, that he'd never do anything to make her uncomfortable.

What really disturbed him was what she said after. It was so soft and barely audible, but he had caught it through his trained ears.

"_I live every day like it's my last… "_

He didn't like that phrase coming out of her mouth, not one bit..

What did she mean by it? What happened to her in Azarath? Why did she leave?

He'd always wanted to talk to her about her origins, but every time he pressed her on the subject, she'd shut him down, hard.

She didn't want to talk about it, and he felt that in time, once he'd gained her trust, she'd come to him when she was ready.

He just wished it was sooner rather than later, so that he could help her with whatever it was that's troubling her.

_I guess, she'll just tell me when she's ready…_ He thought as he moved the cart to the check out line.

Raven put the little divider on the mechanical belt separating their groceries from the customer ahead of them.

They both started putting their groceries on the belt as it slowly moved towards the register.

"You sure you don't want anything?" He asked her

She shook her head, "I'm fine…"

He grabbed a magazine from the rack while they waited in line.

"Hey, what about this? Ok magazine, what will Robsten's baby look like? How to get Kim Kardashian's rear, and finally dun dUN DUNNN what to do if your sex tape gets leaked onto the interweb…. Find out on the next… days of our lives… " he grinned.

Raven looked at him unamused. "No."

He put the magazine back.

"How about a candy bar? Or some ice cream?" he offered.

She frowned, "Who do I look like Beastboy?"

He threw up his hands in defeat, "Fine… have it your way then.. but you can't say I didn't offer you this opportunity."

"What do you want Robin? Why are you doing this?" She asked him with a hint of irritation in her voice.

He smiled at her leaning forward a bit, a little too close for her comfort, because for a moment, it felt like her heart had been lodged in her throat.

"Because I think you deserve it… " He admitted. "… and I wanted to see you smile again.." he added.

Raven eyes grew wide and she flushed.

She was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say… and he was just standing there looking at her. She turned her face away from him.

"Whatever…" she said dryly as she cleared her throat, folding her arms across her chest. She quickly walked away from him.

She could feel his eyes on her as she moved away from him. He was probably grinning like an idiot… happy that he'd seen her blush… She wondered if her face was red… or if it had been noticeable.

She watched as Robin paid for their things rolling the cart towards her.

"Come on let's go home…" he motioned towards the exit.

Raven sighed trailing behind him.

It was going to be an interesting car ride home…

Robin was grinning ear to ear. He had done that to her… he had made her blush! Her pale cheeks had color in them for once… and he found that he liked it.

He fought the urge to turn around and look at her priceless face even though he so desperately wanted to.

_Well, at least she doesn't have that sorry look on her face any more_… he thought as he rolled the cart up to the T-Car.

One thing's for sure… he thought, it was going to be an interesting ride home..


End file.
